Health and social care strategy for older people: consultation analysis

4. Next Steps

Whilst we have been consulting and engaging on this strategy and analysing responses, more detail on the scope of the National Care Service (NCS) has been emerging including the introduction of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill^[4].

The Scottish Government has been considering how a Health and Social Care Strategy for Older People might benefit from improvements realised through a new NCS, and how the views that have been gathered through this consultation can best inform the NCS development discussions.

Given this context, we propose to extend the timeframe for development of a Health and Social Care Strategy for Older People in order to take account of, and contribute to, the development of the NCS. This is especially important since the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill proposes including making provision for the establishment of care boards to carry out Ministers' functions in relation to social care, social work and community health.

We will continue to develop a new national strategy for palliative and end of life care and again the responses to this consultation will inform^[5] that strategy.

Ministers remain committed to developing a Health and Social Care Strategy for Older People informed by this consultation analysis, once we have fully considered the implications of the National Care Service Bill.

We will also consider areas which affect older people's health and social care which we can progress in the meantime.